Classic Hifi Care

Bill shared this with me the other day. I've looked at this video and others on this Case 150 steamer. This traction engine was built from Case blueprints by the young man driving it. It is pulling a 36 bottom plow. My dad's new 56 horsepower Oliver Super 88 would pull 4 bottoms. That makes this thing nine times more powerful than the Oliver was. On top of that, it's not even working it hard.

This Case steamer develops over 5000 foot pounds of torque at under 200 rpm. That is the equivalent torque generated by three diesel truck engines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU_fshxE3Gk

Cool machine. I liked how at the beginning the cylinder was on TDC so he pulled it off. With steam you push and pull. Then there's that governor whirling away, and all the exposed moving parts that would make an OSHA inspector faint.

Not too far from me there are working steam engines in the carferry SS Badger--Skinner Uniflow engines, coal-fired by special dispensation from the EPA. Here's a description of the Uniflow:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniflow_steam_engine

Badger was launched in 1952. Great Lakes carferries are impressive things, built to carry rail cars across Lake Michigan in all seasons all weather. They were built as icebreakers because freight didn't stop just because the Lake froze. Sometimes they'd get stuck and other ferries would have to steam out and free them up. And sometimes they would have to just wait until the ice shifted. Now they carry automobile-cars, not freight cars, plus the occasional huge load like windmill blades.

A traditional triple-expansion steam carferry is a museum ship available for touring at Manistee. She's City of Milwaukee from 1931.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_City_of_Milwaukee

Chris Campbell